Chinese Thanksgiving

This year Chinese Winter Solstice falls on the 22 December.  It is comparable to Thanksgiving Day, because on this day all family members will congregate to feast and to catch up with one another.  It is also the day to make amends and peace among family members and give thanks to gods and to honour the ancestor.

On this day, a particular type of food must be serve because of it's significant and it's meaning.  This food is called "Tang Yuan" which translate as Round Dumplings Soup.  The dumplings are made of either rice flour or glutinous rice flour or the combination of both.  Tang Yuan is normally serve as a dessert.  The 'soup' is normally a sweet syrup made of sugar and water flavoured with ginger slices, or added to any liquid based desserts.  However there are countless of way to eat Tang Yuan and varies to individual liking.  It is also common to put different sweet stuffing in the dumplings, for example, custard, red bean paste, lotus paste, crushed peanuts and sesame sweet paste.  The best of all, these varieties can be found in your local Asian grocers.  Just look for them in the freezers.

What I am going to share with you here is something different.  I will show you how to make the dumplings and cook them with leeks and roast pork.  Yes . . . it is going to be a savoury dish.  This dish brought a lot of fond memories of my parents and myself.  This dish reflects the unity and the love we share with each other.

I call this dish - My Family Tang Yuan

A. The Dumplings
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup water


Method:

1. Sieved the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
2. Pour the water into the well slowly and start to mix and gather the flour until form a soft dough.
3. Dust a tray with rice flour for the dumplings to rest on.
4. Start rolling into round shape to wider than 1 centimeter.
5. Bring a pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt, then drop the dumplings in as quick as possible.  Hint - the  round dumplings does not roll.  Quick pick and drop is recommended.
6. A quick stir to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pot.  Let all dumplings float and further boil for 5 minutes.
7. Removed dumplings and sit them in a cold bath.

B. The Soup

1 medium Spanish onion - sliced

2 cloves garlic - chopped

1 large leek or 5-6 stalks Chinese leek - sliced

200g Chinese roast pork (Siew Yuk) - thinly sliced

3-4 stalks Spring onions - cut to equal lengths

Handful of chopped Continental parsley

700 mL water

Soy sauce to taste

Method:

1. Sauteed Spanish onion and garlic until translucent.
2. Add leek and keep stirring until soft before adding the meat and water.  Bring to the boil.
3. Removed the dumplings from the cold bath into the soup.  Bring back to boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Turned off the heat and add in the spring onion and continental parsley.  Give it a quick stir to wilt them slightly.
5. Divide into bowls and drizzle with a teaspoon of soy sauce if needed.

Functions and Benefits:

1. Rice and Glutinous Rice - Tones the Middle Burner; build and nourish Qi and Blood.
2. Pork -  Tones Qi and Blood.
3. Leek - Tones, regulates and benefits the Qi and expels Cold.
4. Onion - Tones, regulates and benefits the Qi and expels Cold.
5. Garlic -  tones and regulates Qi; expels Cold; warms Middle Burner; moves sluggish Qi and improves digestion.
6. Spring onion - Tones, regulates and benefits the Qi and expels Cold.
7. Continental parsley -  Clears damp and promotes urination; tones Spleen Qi improving digestion.

Precautions and Contraindications:

1. The dumplings can get you choked up if eaten in large amount in a mouthful.  They are heavy and stodgy if consume in large quantity.
2. Overall it is a warming dish and can be greasy from the roast pork.  Refrain from excess consumption.

If you have any doubt or want to know more about this recipe, contact your TCM practitioner or myself.

Thank you for reading.

Kenny Law
Australia Registered TCM Practitioner.
DISCLAIMER:
Information given are purely for references and it is not intent to diagnose medical conditions or to be used for self-diagnosed. Always consult medical health personnel for proper medical diagnosis.

© COPYRIGHT 2010 KENNY LAW

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